Expanded Testing and Testing at Pharmacies in New York

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is issuing an Executive Order allowing independent pharmacies to conduct diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in the state’s push to increase the amount of testing to identify and isolate more cases of the virus.

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Front-line New York workers like healthcare, police, ambulance, fire and public transit are at the top of list for testing with other essential workers eligible for testing once it starts to include in areas of animal care, grocery, bank tellers, delivery and clergy.

The expanded criteria for first responders, health care workers and essential employees allows for diagnostic testing even if they are not symptomatic and will expand as capacity increases.

Adding independent pharmacies to locations that can take samples to be sent to the labs for processing puts another possible 5,000 collection locations on board.

Cuomo has consistently linked testing as essential to identifying and isolating the coronavirus, further reducing its spread and allowing New York to reopen.